Sophia Goes To New York

Hi everyone! I don't know if people make campaigns for personal reasons, but friends are encouraging me to, so well here it goes. Let me tell you a story.

In high school I fell in love. I took a silly media productions elective class for fun, and became infatuated with photography. 

Over the last seven years I've only grown more passionate about photography as I taught myself to use a camera, edit photos, and develop an eye for taking pictures. Prom portraits, senior pictures, wedding photography, street photography, every type of event photography, photojournalism, sports, food, conceptual fine art (oh those Flickr days), fashion, e-commerce, landscape photography—with my little Canon Rebel camera in hand, I took every opportunity to shoot, practice, experiment.

(Photo by Luis Descanzo, you da best.)

Despite going to architecture school, I never gave up on my photography dreams. My parents kept insisting photography was just a hobby, not a viable career. I spent countless nights and weekends doing photoshoots with friends and models, built a portfolio I'm proud of, created a website (www.studiosophy.com), and really defined what I want to do as a career. 

It's my dream to move to New York to become a fashion and portrait photographer.

It's so hard to even muster the courage to say that. But I've never wanted anything more. 

Just my luck, last week I got offered the opportunity to intern with a world-renowned editorial portrait photographer. It's the once-in-a-lifetime dream internship in New York where I get to learn from the best, gain work experience, network, and hopefully find my way to a real job. I believe what I get out of this internship will be worth every minute and penny spent. But it's also a full-time unpaid internship. In New York, where I can't afford to live for long. Am I crazy stupid enough to sacrifice being able to work stable jobs to pursue this wild dream and risk it all? 

For all my artist friends out there, do you get me? Do you have that inner gut in you that's telling you to go after your dreams now, or else you're going to put it off and regret life? This must be more than just a millennial mindset, right?

So here I am, anxious about the next stage of my life, and asking you to leave me some tips (in the form of $ or advice, whatever you can spare). I'll need a place to live in expensive New York, and some food to feed me once in a while, for at least the three month duration of my internship starting mid-August. Some words of encouragement and wisdom would also be much appreciated. I promise to work harder than I ever have in the pursuit of my dreams. 

Thank you friends, for reading my story and supporting me on my past, present, and future journey. I'll be forever grateful for your help during this complicated, needy time in my life. But I'm optimistic. Who knows what the future will hold?

Believe in the beauty of your dreams.